85 Broad Street Public Space Experience Wins 2017 IES Lighting Control Innovation Award

The Lighting Control Innovation Award was created in 2011 as part of the Illuminating Engineering Society’s Illumination Awards program, which recognizes professionalism, ingenuity and originality in lighting design. LCA is proud to sponsor the Lighting Control Innovation Award, which recognizes projects that exemplify the effective use of lighting controls in nonresidential applications.

This month, we will explore an innovative installation of lighting controls at a public space at 85 Broad Street in Boston. Design by upLIGHT. Photography by Michael Stiller and ESI Design. Lighting controls by Martin (P3-100), Philips Color Kinetics (Vaya Controllers and Video System Manager), Interactive Technologies (Cue Server 1), ETC (Unison dimming controls), and City Theatrical (custom DMX relays).

A sculptural lighting design brings visual comfort and a compelling experience to the public spaces of this large office building. Integrated controls including media-driven processors, astronomical clocks, and project-wide dimming further reduce energy use and create kinetic lighting effects to enliven the occupants’ experience.

Arriving visitors encounter a serpentine lighting sculpture that wraps around the building and generates an energetic beacon, drawing them in. Reflective blades interspersed throughout add a secondary dimension to the internally illuminated bars, enhancing the lighting effects at night. Each light bar is comprised of ten white “pixels” that create patterns in two axis along the undulating sculpture within the rectilinear arcade. New, stem-mounted LED uplights reflect off the ceiling, opening up the space. Existing CMH ingrade uplights, relamped to match the sculpture’s color temperature, complete the effect.

Inside, a second kinetic light sculpture with integral RGB LED strips parades down the ceiling. A map-themed design including metal cutout maps overlaid onto custom diffusers, three-dimensional relief maps, and illuminated transparent LCD displays put the building’s unique and historic location into the larger context of the city. Custom chandeliers echo the forms of both animated sculptures. Throughout the project, media driven programming creates a gentle sequence of shifting light and color. The program changes throughout the day and can be updated remotely by the design team.

Approaching visitors encounter an animated, 4000K white-light sculpture that winds through the exterior arcade encircling the building to create a playful and inviting experience.

The twisting ribbon of light bars and reflective blades conveys a sense of motion and creates an active scene to engage the building’s tenants.

Stem-mounted LED uplights reflect off the ceiling, opening up the space. Existing CMH ingrade uplights, relamped to match the sculpture’s color temperature, complete the effect.

Inside, an animated, RGB light sculpture parades down the ceiling to lighten the heavy structure, emphasizing the historic, curved path of Stone Street.

A map-themed design, including metal cutout maps overlaid onto custom diffusers, highlights and honors the rich, centuries-long history of the site.

Custom chandeliers echo the animated light bars in the corridor and arcade, unifying the interior and exterior spaces. Illuminated relief maps provide additional historical context.

The three-dimensionality of the lobby relief maps is revealed with carefully placed, narrow-beam LED cove lighting hidden within the map’s structural framework.

At the ends of three elevator bays, a transparent LCD screen with informative content hovers over a historical relief map of lower Manhattan.

The content on the screens is made visible by dimmable LED strip lighting that is recessed into the screen’s custom frames.